Effects of Different Nutrient Inputs in Organic Parsley Cultivation

Abstract

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum Mill.) can play a key role in healthy nutrition for people. This study evaluated the effects of different fertilisers on parsley grown in organic greenhouse conditions in the Samsun province of Turkey. Three organic fertilisers (liquids based on compost, nettles and wood ash) were tested and compared with chemical fertiliser and a control with no fertiliser. The results showed that application of wood ash solution significantly increased EC and concentrations of P and K in the soil, compared with the no fertiliser control. The nettle extract and the compost solution had the most prominent effects on concentrations of nutrients in the parsley leaf tissue. The highest total yields were obtained in the treatments with nettle extract (8.95 kg m(-2)) and wood ash solution (8.71 kg m(-2)), which were similar to the yield in the treatment with chemical fertiliser (8.48 kg m(-2)). The present results suggested that nettle extract and wood ash solution provided effective fertilisers to achieve high yields and quality in organic parsley cultivation. Further studies were recommended to test combinations of nettle extract and wood ash solutions in different proportions for edible leafy species.